Ways to prevent falls in the workplace

Your first thought is likely that lots of falls on the job are from ladders. But there are many other ways to fall from height.  It can be off a loading dock, the back of a truck or on stairs.

As with all hazards, the first step in controlling falls is to identify and analyze where the fall hazards exist at your workplace.  Once those are located come up with solutions to fix or make people aware of the change in elevation:

• One way to help is to mark the area that is close to the edge with another color such as yellow.
• Stair noses should be marked with yellow to designate each step.  When using stairs, also use the handrails.
• The tailgate area on the truck can also be marked to show you are close to an edge.
• On loading docks, when a door is left open, some sort of temporary railing or indicator should be in place.
• The most obvious advice is that employees should pay attention to what they’re doing.

Any way you can designate an edge or change in floor level can help to reduce injuries. To assist you with your safety meetings, more information about this is available in the RASI Safety Library.  RASI SafetyTV also has videos about falls (#4 and #5).

 WR employs Rick Means as a Safety Specialist who is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-943-9198, Ext. 18 or [email protected]

Portions of this article are from Safety Smart
http://safetysmart.com/Article.aspx?id=18599&articleId=104194